What does a 55 year old miner in Lapland have in common with a 13 year old from Holland, MI? On the surface, it would seem the answer would be very little. They come from different cultures. They speak different languages. They eat different foods. And they might very well worship God using vastly different traditions. Yet the God who loves and understands the daily struggles of the miner from Lapland is the same God who loves and understands the daily struggles of the 13 year old from Holland, MI. In Christ, these two people go from being complete strangers to brothers and sisters in the family of God.
The God who transforms “outsiders” into “insiders” was the topic of our youth retreats this past January. In between horseback riding, downhill sledding, and horse drawn wagon rides, we learned how the eclectic and even scandalous genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1 teaches us that we are connected to all of those God created, even those who we don’t like or understand. Each person is created to be unique, but not to be an island alone. Each person is created to be in relationship with each other and with God. We need the uniqueness of all in order to fully operate as the church was intended to be. One of the biggest take aways from our retreat was that we are all “one”. Just as we can celebrate the ways in which we are unique, we are called to celebrate the uniqueness in others.
~Beth Carroll, Youth Ministry Director