Among the many great moments there are in working in youth ministry, few compare to the moments when you see a flicker of light or a spark in the spirit of a student. Such sparks appear when new ideas are understood, when new skills are mastered (or at least attempted with some success and enough curiosity to try again), and when faces shine with understanding and confidence.
These moments might look something like a transfiguration.
These are the moments that anchor teachers, guides, and mentors in the ongoing work of opening students’ hearts and minds to a life of faith. One of my great teachers always said that we are just planting seeds; the rest of the work is God’s. It is God’s work and God’s call that will cause the seeds to take root, grow, and thrive. It is God who will transform all creation.
Transfiguration or transformation may not appear for you in the same way it did for Jesus, but I assure you that it happens in small ways all the time. Transformation happens when students choose to participate in summer experiential learning. Transformation happens when confirmation students meet with mentors throughout Lent to learn about faith in daily life. Transformation happens when volunteers give up gloves for those who don’t have them, when 1,600 people pack a sanctuary to sing out for hope and justice, and when two young adults come to church asking for Holy Baptism.
Dear ones, God is at work in this place and in this time. You are God’s hands, feet, and heart, and you are doing the good work of bringing about the world God imagined, the work of God’s dream for all. So, as we dwell in the story of Jesus’ transfiguration, watch for the sparks and the flames in your life that are the assurance of God’s presence among us.
See you in church,
Pastor Stephanie