One thing that's been catching my eye in worship lately has been just how many hidden crosses there are in just the sanctuary.
I want to know how many crosses the youth see in the worship space. I want them to look beyond the purposeful and obvious crosses.
After we tally the crosses we've spotted, we would head to the youth room. Once we are settled in the room, the first question I have for the youth is "What does it mean that there we found more crosses when we started to look for them?"
I plan to focus on how Jesus can be found in the unexpected places. My second question for the youth is "Who is Jesus?" Have them write their answers, so no one is influenced by others' answers.
Each youth will then open their Bible to Matthew 25:34-40. I will have two volunteers read all the way through - one after the other.
More questions for the youth:
Who is hungry near you? How can you feed them? Is it possible someone is spiritually hungry?
Who is thirsty near you? Can someone be thirsty for spiritual water as much as for physical water?
Where are there strangers around you? How can you welcome them?
How can you give clothing to people who need it? Is there a spiritual need for clothing?
Who is sick around you? Can someone be spiritually sick?
Do you know anyone in prison? Can someone be in a spiritual prison?
Here are my thoughts and answers for these questions.
Who is hungry near you?
There are so many people even just in my town who are hungry. Our congregation participates in Snack Pack. This is a ministry to feed students in PreK-12th grades who rely on school meals to be fed. Many times, these students only get breakfast and lunch. Over the weekend, they get nothing. We also support local food pantries, where people can pick up food for free. According to the website, Feeding America, 17% of all residents of my city have food insecurity, and 20% of all children in my city have food insecurity.
How can you feed them?
We can continue to partner with Snack Pack and local food pantries. We can volunteer our time at "soup kitchens" and the food pantries. The youth can share their lunch with someone who doesn't have any, or doesn't have much, to eat. We can give sack lunches to people we encounter on the streets. We can help spread awareness of food insecurity, therefore hopefully spurring others into similar actions.
Is it possible someone is spiritually hungry?
It is definitely possible. A person becomes spiritually hungry when s/he is not spending enough time with the Triune God in an appropriate manner. Perhaps s/he is not reading his/her Bible regularly, or praying as often as s/he could. But, it could also be that s/he is doing everything s/he can, but s/he has outgrown the spiritual feeding at church. The congregation s/he is attending may be content on milk, but s/he is ready for meat. We, as fellow Christians, can help people who feel spiritually hungry by encouraging them to spend more quality time with God, as well as helping them find Bible studies and Christians gatherings that will help them grow in faith, rather than stagnate.
Who is thirsty near you?
This one is not as obvious as who is hungry. This takes some seeking and diligence. I would say that if someone is hungry, they are more than likely to be thirsty as well.
Can someone be thirsty for spiritual water as much as for physical water?
Much like those who are hungry for spiritual food, there are those who need Jesus' living water. This living water is Jesus himself. It is the forgiveness of sins. It is baptism. It is adoption into God's family, as God's children. Beyond that, when one has Jesus' living water, strength comes from within, and is not influenced by outside forces. This well of living water grants peace that no matter what happens in your life, there is something far greater to come. To quote MacLaren's Expressions, as posted on BibleHub: "If you have Christ in your heart then life is possible, peace is possible, joy is possible, under all circumstances and in all places. Everything which the soul can desire, it possesses."
Where are there strangers around you?
The simple answer is, there are strangers around all of the time. A stranger is anyone you don't know. They are people you have encountered, and people who are only presented as "the other" by social networking, news, movies. They are the new person in your class or office. They are the immigrant or the refugee that, perhaps, you're being told to fear. They are anyone you do not currently have a relationship with.
How can you welcome them?
There are so many ways to welcome a stranger. If someone is sitting alone at lunch, or at the church breakfast, sit with them. If there is a new person in your class or office, say hello and help with information. For those countless, sometimes faceless, "others" we can support a larger welcome from our state or country.
How can you give clothing to people who need it?
We can donate the clothes we no longer need or want to thrift stores. We can donate the clothes to missions in our own congregations. We can donate clothes to women's shelters, and to homeless shelters. If you encounter homeless people in your regular routine, you can give new items to them directly.
Is there a spiritual need for clothing?
The short answer is yes, much like people need spiritual food and water, people need spiritual clothing. Colossians 3:12 tells us "As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience." So, as Christians, we need to remember to keep our souls "dressed" up.
Who is sick around you?
Every answer will be different. I know a few people in my own life who are physically sick. Some of them have chronic illnesses, while some are temporarily sick. Some have had accidents which have left them with impairments - a different kind of sick. Each person who is asked this question will have a different answer, and that answer will change for each person over time.
Can someone be spiritually sick?
In short, yes. Without spiritual food, water, or clothing, a person can quickly become spiritually sick. Sometimes a spiritual sickness will take longer to heal than a physical sickness.
Do you know anyone in prison?
Again, this answer will vary among those who answer it. Most, I would guess, will say no.
Could someone be in a spiritual prison?
Yes, it is possible to be in a spiritual prison. When you are away from a right relationship with God, it is much like being in a prison. You do not have access to the One who loves you most. There is an, oftentimes painful, separation.
When we look around our lives, sometimes it's easy to spot Christ, and God's work. God is in the birds and butterflies, the sunrise, the helpful neighbor. But God is in the unexpected places, as well. Christ is in the stranger, the person who isn't quite so nice to you, the person who stole from you, the grumpy cashier. When you treat those who seemingly "don't deserve it" with love, compassion, and respect, it is then that you are not only seeing Christ, but also showing God's love to the world.
I want to know how many crosses the youth see in the worship space. I want them to look beyond the purposeful and obvious crosses.
After we tally the crosses we've spotted, we would head to the youth room. Once we are settled in the room, the first question I have for the youth is "What does it mean that there we found more crosses when we started to look for them?"
Each youth will then open their Bible to Matthew 25:34-40. I will have two volunteers read all the way through - one after the other.
More questions for the youth:
Who is hungry near you? How can you feed them? Is it possible someone is spiritually hungry?
Who is thirsty near you? Can someone be thirsty for spiritual water as much as for physical water?
Where are there strangers around you? How can you welcome them?
How can you give clothing to people who need it? Is there a spiritual need for clothing?
Who is sick around you? Can someone be spiritually sick?
Do you know anyone in prison? Can someone be in a spiritual prison?
Here are my thoughts and answers for these questions.
Who is hungry near you?
There are so many people even just in my town who are hungry. Our congregation participates in Snack Pack. This is a ministry to feed students in PreK-12th grades who rely on school meals to be fed. Many times, these students only get breakfast and lunch. Over the weekend, they get nothing. We also support local food pantries, where people can pick up food for free. According to the website, Feeding America, 17% of all residents of my city have food insecurity, and 20% of all children in my city have food insecurity.
How can you feed them?
We can continue to partner with Snack Pack and local food pantries. We can volunteer our time at "soup kitchens" and the food pantries. The youth can share their lunch with someone who doesn't have any, or doesn't have much, to eat. We can give sack lunches to people we encounter on the streets. We can help spread awareness of food insecurity, therefore hopefully spurring others into similar actions.
Is it possible someone is spiritually hungry?
It is definitely possible. A person becomes spiritually hungry when s/he is not spending enough time with the Triune God in an appropriate manner. Perhaps s/he is not reading his/her Bible regularly, or praying as often as s/he could. But, it could also be that s/he is doing everything s/he can, but s/he has outgrown the spiritual feeding at church. The congregation s/he is attending may be content on milk, but s/he is ready for meat. We, as fellow Christians, can help people who feel spiritually hungry by encouraging them to spend more quality time with God, as well as helping them find Bible studies and Christians gatherings that will help them grow in faith, rather than stagnate.
Who is thirsty near you?
This one is not as obvious as who is hungry. This takes some seeking and diligence. I would say that if someone is hungry, they are more than likely to be thirsty as well.
Can someone be thirsty for spiritual water as much as for physical water?
Much like those who are hungry for spiritual food, there are those who need Jesus' living water. This living water is Jesus himself. It is the forgiveness of sins. It is baptism. It is adoption into God's family, as God's children. Beyond that, when one has Jesus' living water, strength comes from within, and is not influenced by outside forces. This well of living water grants peace that no matter what happens in your life, there is something far greater to come. To quote MacLaren's Expressions, as posted on BibleHub: "If you have Christ in your heart then life is possible, peace is possible, joy is possible, under all circumstances and in all places. Everything which the soul can desire, it possesses."
Where are there strangers around you?
The simple answer is, there are strangers around all of the time. A stranger is anyone you don't know. They are people you have encountered, and people who are only presented as "the other" by social networking, news, movies. They are the new person in your class or office. They are the immigrant or the refugee that, perhaps, you're being told to fear. They are anyone you do not currently have a relationship with.
How can you welcome them?
There are so many ways to welcome a stranger. If someone is sitting alone at lunch, or at the church breakfast, sit with them. If there is a new person in your class or office, say hello and help with information. For those countless, sometimes faceless, "others" we can support a larger welcome from our state or country.
How can you give clothing to people who need it?
We can donate the clothes we no longer need or want to thrift stores. We can donate the clothes to missions in our own congregations. We can donate clothes to women's shelters, and to homeless shelters. If you encounter homeless people in your regular routine, you can give new items to them directly.
Is there a spiritual need for clothing?
The short answer is yes, much like people need spiritual food and water, people need spiritual clothing. Colossians 3:12 tells us "As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience." So, as Christians, we need to remember to keep our souls "dressed" up.
Who is sick around you?
Every answer will be different. I know a few people in my own life who are physically sick. Some of them have chronic illnesses, while some are temporarily sick. Some have had accidents which have left them with impairments - a different kind of sick. Each person who is asked this question will have a different answer, and that answer will change for each person over time.
Can someone be spiritually sick?
In short, yes. Without spiritual food, water, or clothing, a person can quickly become spiritually sick. Sometimes a spiritual sickness will take longer to heal than a physical sickness.
Do you know anyone in prison?
Again, this answer will vary among those who answer it. Most, I would guess, will say no.
Could someone be in a spiritual prison?
Yes, it is possible to be in a spiritual prison. When you are away from a right relationship with God, it is much like being in a prison. You do not have access to the One who loves you most. There is an, oftentimes painful, separation.
When we look around our lives, sometimes it's easy to spot Christ, and God's work. God is in the birds and butterflies, the sunrise, the helpful neighbor. But God is in the unexpected places, as well. Christ is in the stranger, the person who isn't quite so nice to you, the person who stole from you, the grumpy cashier. When you treat those who seemingly "don't deserve it" with love, compassion, and respect, it is then that you are not only seeing Christ, but also showing God's love to the world.
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| Photo credit: Rediscovering the Journey blog |
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