“Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  

When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  

When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” -Matthew 25:37-40

Youth Sunday is always a special day in the life of the church and this year is no exception.  It will be different, but still a celebration!  When you produce an online-only worship service you have no idea who is checking in and who might be skipping it.  You don’t know if people are connecting with God in other ways or if they are just carrying on with life and letting go of spiritual practices, or (hopefully) participating in the spiritual disciplines in new and meaningful ways.  This year’s Youth Sunday theme hits home on this idea really well, “I Called, Who Came?”

With all the possibilities to connect with our church and other congregations, Jesus might be asking us, “I called, who came?”  In the same way that we should be feeding the hungry, giving the thirsty something to drink, caring for strangers and the sick and those in prison, Christ is calling us to be neighbors to the people around us.  As we are eager to resume “normal” activities and return to public life, we are still reminded to be good neighbors.  Christ is calling us to care for the sick and protect the vulnerable among us.  Christ is calling us to celebrate our young people and be creative with how we honor their hard work and mark those important milestones.

I hope you are able to join us in person for our “drive-by” quilting of our High School Seniors tomorrow (Wednesday) at the church parking lot at 3:30pm.  If you have some time, please write a note to our graduates and any of the other students in our church to encourage them and support them in this time of isolation and possible loneliness.  Send those notes to the church and Youth Ministry Director, Stephen Jansons, will distribute them.  Please also plan to join us Sunday for our online streaming worship at 9:30am and 11:00am, when our young people, students, volunteer leaders, and ministry staff will share the worship service and what this time of quarantine and youth ministry means to them.  Hopefully some of our young people will join the Zoom coffee hour at 10:30am between services so you can say hello to them online as well.

Lord, thank you for our students and families.  Thank you for creative ways we can celebrate our graduates and honor the hard work they have put forth.  Bless people who are lonely and need your presence.  Help us to be the heart and hands of Jesus Christ in our community, in our neighborhoods and around the world.  Amen.

Pastor Hanna Peterson Shearer