A Sunday to Celebrate
When I graduated from college I decided to move to South Carolina for a short bit of time and live with my best friend (who today is a Pastor in West Virginia!). We were young, goofy and free! One of our favorite things to do was to ride our bikes after work into Charleston and eat at a really cool restaurant. We loved biking and, of course, eating.
One day, we heard about an opportunity to ride our bikes with my wonderful Christian college through the mountains of Colorado. The excursion was to be for 12 days over 7 mountain passes covering about 1100 miles. We were totally up for it (and, of course, we had been “training!”). So we packed up our bikes, drove to Indiana (home of Taylor University, the finest Christian college in America), and boarded a bus along with about 50 other high schools, college, and graduated young people. We were excited about this “opportunity of a life time!”
Well, overall, it was a blast. We did it and we survived. At one point, I even went 6 days sleeping outside and not showering once! That looks good on any resume! And throughout the challenging trip, God taught me some really great lessons. One of the things He taught me, and it has really stuck with me, was this: When facing the next mountain, I would think “I have a long way to go. But I have come a long way, too!”
This Sunday in church, we are looking at Pentecost and what it means to live in an “Acts 2 Community.” It promises to be an encouraging and celebratory time together. In addition, we are honoring and celebrating our graduating high school seniors! They have had to endure and overcome a lot this year and they are worthy of celebrating and cheering on! They had a “long way to go,” but the have “come a long way, too!” If you knew them the way Michelle and I (and a great group of adult leaders) know them, you would be so proud and impressed with them (I could literally go on and on here!!).
Our theme verse for this year’s youth ministry school year was Hebrews 12:1. The verse talks about “running the race” with perseverance and not quitting, not giving up. These kids have done that! So join us on Sunday in The Gathering as we celebrate these wonderful students and hear a little about their journey and how God has been active in their lives as they continue the sometimes “up-hill,” and yet joyful and celebratory Christian race!
See You Sunday,
Joel Lusz
Pastor of Student and Family Ministries