Somehow, it’s sunset. Not only is the day done, but so is our week here in Kentucky.
So much has happened in such a short time. It feels like we just arrived yesterday and started getting to know Ms. Ruby, so how can Monday feel so far away? How could this band of Middle Schoolers, by Tuesday at lunch time, have knocked out (with excellent quality!) what I figured should’ve taken them until Wednesday?
That’s why Mission Trips are so cool. God takes our individual desire to serve, combines it with that same passion in other believers, and multiplies it exponentially to do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” (Eph. 3:20) That happens when we are willing to let God do more with us than we could ever do on our own.
One of those things is that we have been imagining what it might look like if the Messiah were part of our group. What if the Messiah were one of our friends? What would we see happening and what would we do ourselves? What if it were us? As followers of Jesus, shouldn’t we be acting like that anyway?
One of my good friends in Youth Ministry passed this idea along to me, and it’s based on a story told by Scott Peck called “The Rabbi’s Gift.” Read it here: http://philipchircop.wordpress.com/2012/11/25/the-rabbis-gift/
Our youth have demonstrated amazing insight and compassion this week by looking for the Messiah in their midst each day. They passed 3 crosses among each other, presenting them randomly throughout the day whenever they saw one of their peers acting like they thought the Messiah would.
Were they perfect? Duh…they’re Middle Schoolers. But the adults were amazed each evening as kids recounted how the crosses had traveled among the group while they worked. A small kindness here, a good attitude there. Hard work, no complaints. The realization that we are blessed, the resolve not to take it for granted.
And given one-word responses last night, how did they describe their week spent looking for the Messiah? Amazing, Enlightening, Life-changing, Motivational, Eye-opening, Remembering, Eventful, Inspirational, Collaborative, Realization, Inspiring, Fun, Learningful, Differing perspectives, Meaningful, Humbling, Amazed, Teamwork, Encouraging, Perspective, Blessed, Communion. Do you have a word this cool to describe your week?
The sun is setting on our week looking for the Messiah. But keep your eyes open. The sun, and another chance to see the Messiah, is coming up again tomorrow.