“Jesus said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus.”
What do toilet plungers, puzzle pieces, Skittles, bowling and corn mazes have to do with this gospel account of Peter walking on the water with Jesus? They were all used with our youth to talk about risk taking this past month. Our theme in both High Hopes and Fish club is risk taking and we have been exploring this idea in a variety of places. In 6th and 7th grade Sunday School we are learning that God initiates relationship with us even though we are far from perfect; the story of Abraham and Sarah in particular illustrating this for us. It is this love, which chooses us in our imperfection, that allows us to move forward towards God in faith. In Fish Club we are exploring what this relationship means for us in our everyday life. We are learning that because God loves us, we can take risks as we see God’s Spirit at work, whether it is to be a friend to the friendless or look for ways as a Fish Club group to care for our community.
In High Hopes, we are exploring similar themes. During our Unshowered events, we are studying a version of Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life aimed at youth, which teaches us to invite God into our exploration of how we use our time on earth. During our first High Hopes Unplugged meeting, we spent time discussing Peter walking on the water and what ways God might be inviting us to take risks in our day to day lives too.
We are excited to see how God uses this theme to thread all of our time together, be it our discussions around a bonfire, time raking leaves for a neighbor, or even as we bake pies and Christmas cookies.
~Beth Jarvis, Youth Ministry Director