It’s taken me a while to start putting my thoughts and feelings into words. I do remember looking through old Gathering photos 2 years ago as I was pulling some for a gift I was putting together for our Youth and Family Ministry Director who was stepping down. As her husband was emailing me more photos in secret from the 6 Gatherings they had taken youths to, I commented to him that I had just realized I would be the one to take our next group. I remember thinking at the time, what a privilege and honor it will be, and feeling very blessed I had taken that leap of faith to say yes to this call. I also remember him telling me something along the lines that it would likely be life and faith changing for me as well. He was so right.
The sheer size of it all is impressive, even overwhelming. The square footage of space needed for everything, the number of buses, over 1,200 volunteers, 2,000 communion assistants…and of course, the participants. This year over 31,000 registered participants. Yes, that’s a big number and it’s a high percentage of youth. Our congregations are not large, except for a few in Minnesota. Our youth groups are shrinking along with our congregations. Yet every three years our youth gather in these large numbers. And when we all gathered every evening and again Sunday morning…the energy…the joy…the Spirit…were palpable. There were moments that I just sat and soaked it all in, the energy, the singing, the faces around us. This was the Church.
And as I sit here trying to sort through my thoughts, reactions, feelings, and memories just a few days later, I’m finding myself still somewhat speechless and in awe of the whole experience. I can’t say that I knew what to expect other than BIG. It turns out that BIG wasn’t limited to the size of Houston or the Gathering, but also my reactions. Throughout the year we touched on a number of big topics including acceptance, healthy/non-healthy relationships, self-harm, facing death, and amplifying the voices of others. But even going into the evenings knowing the topics ahead of time, the power of these stories really hit hard when listened to in person, as they were told by the very person who owned those stories.
All year the theme This Changes Everythinghas been held in front of us as we explored many possibilities for “This”. So here is another one…God’s Story Changes Everything. Can we come to accept that our personal stories are intertwined and braided with others’ stories and God’s story? That we are all part of the same story? One of the messages that was repeated throughout the Gathering was that of belonging. We all, not just youth, really do want to belong, to be accepted for who we are. It’s tiring to hold up masks all the time. The theme for Synod Day was We Belong Together.
Yes, we do. We do belong together. Together as we are with our hurts and struggles, not just in our shinier moments. Does that mean that we get a pass because we are struggling and broken? No, it means we are there to hold each other up and that we are called to show up for each other. Because we belong together and our lives are intertwined. What impacts my one neighbor will impact another neighbor will impact my family. What impacts me will impact my friends and will impact their neighbors. We belong together. Embracing that also Changes Everything.
And there’s another place I landed one night. Everything Changes Everything. Everything we do, everything we say…or don’t do or don’t say…has the power to change everything. The butterfly effect. As I listened to all these stories that included intentional and/or unintentional moments that were positive and/or negative, the stories really emphasized that everything we say and do has an impact, whether we are aware of it or not, regardless of if we acknowledge that awareness.
So going back to the theme of This Changes Everythingand the daily themes that God’s Call, Love, Grace, Hope, and Jesus Changes Everything, how does this collection of “magnificently imperfect” (PNB-W) individuals that make up what we call the body of Christ, the Church, Make a Difference?Which as an aside, I’m pretty sure that’s the anthem of the Gathering by the way. We make a difference by showing up, by being present for and to one another. Sometimes there’s an obvious way we need to show up…to do clean up, serve meals, etc. Other times showing up just seems like another thing to add to our to do list or maybe not something we are terribly interested in doing. But the thing is, if we don’t show up, we might be saying no to being God’s presence for someone. The ELCA motto…God’s Work. Our Hands. And our ears, our feet, our smiles, our hugs. Gotta show up to do God’s Work!
In the days since coming home, I’ve been trying to catch up with the usual stuff after time away from home and with some of the Gathering offerings we just didn’t have time to squeeze into our busy days in Houston. One of the things I’ve been doing is listening to podcasts from To Hell With the Hot Dish.They have several episodes from the days at the Gathering that are worth listening to. In the Interactive Learning Center, the hosts sat down with random, willing Gathering participants and asked them a variety of questions. Those questions included speaking about their faith communities and what those meant to them. They were also asked about their experience at the Gathering, the speakers and the topics. And they were asked about what their faith meant to them, what they thought was important for others to know about God and faith. Those who spoke about the importance of being involved in a faith community, mentioned the relationships they had with other members and the sense of belonging to something bigger and more important. There’s a real sense of passion and honesty from those who spoke with the podcast hosts. Sometimes, it seems that the Church needs a dose of this passion. And as members, we need to be more comfortable talking about our faith. It’s scary, I know that…that really pushes on my comfort zone. But right now, Christianity is known as what is put forth by the media and the far right. But there’s another side to Christianity and we should to be comfortable and able to share that other side. These podcasts are heartwarming and encouraging. Go and share in word and deed, this other side of Christianity. The side that says ALL are welcome, that God’s love is for ALL with no strings attached. For We ALL Belong Together. And if someone takes offense at that…”There’s grace for that!”
So here is my little This Changes Everythingstory, specifically God’s Call Changes Everythingstory. Just over two years ago I said yes to youth ministry. Was it a call from God? Absolutely! How do I know this with certainty? Because I kept pushing back on it. Because as much as my head kept coming up with reasons why I couldn’t do this, wasn’t qualified, why it was too terrifying, the giant shoes I would be filling, and whatever other reason I had for repeatedly saying no…deep in my heart and soul, there was a yes pushing back on every no. But the Spirit kept gently pushing that yes outward. And here’s the other reason I know this was God’s call…when that yes finally came out. The sense of relief, excitement, calm, elation, and joy I felt was absolutely incredible. As St. Ignatius would say, this was from following the Spirit. Or as I once heard Bishop Curry say, aligning my dream with God’s dream. And This does Change Everything, if not externally, then internally.
See you in Minneapolis in 2021!
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